What We Live For
by Wonderland-sama
Summary: Hands tainted with blood. Hearts filled with darkness. Minds filled with no pure thoughts. These are the lives of vampires. But out of will power do any manage to keep their humanity. Are Sasuke and Itachi of those few?
1. At your Funeral

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the songs used in this story.**

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**Chapter 1: At your Funeral**

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_This song will become the anthem of your underground._

_You're two floors down getting high in the back room._

_If I flooded out your house, do you think you'd make it out,_

_or would you burn up before the water filled your lungs?_

_**- At your Funeral, **_**Saves the Day**

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_**1714**_

_**Itachi POV**_

_It was a sunny day today, not a cloud in sight. I found it a bit odd for such a beautiful day to occur in the middle of winter. For the past few days, it has been nothing but rain and cold temperatures, a durastic change from the weather today though there were small puddles here and there._

_And as I watched my brother being lowered into a six foot deep hole in the ground, I couldn't help but think it was a bit cruel and unfair for the sun to be shining so brightly on a day that has filled my heart with sorrow. I tore my gaze away from the horrendous sight of my brother's wooden coffin and looked to my right where my father and mother stood. My father wore an emotionless mask though I could see the despair and heart break in his eyes and I instantly knew he would break down quietly in the shadows tonight. Unlike him, my mother was weeping and sobbing as my father held her in his arms and I noticed that in her hands was a black hankerchief that she used every other minute to wipe the tears from her eyes._

_I couldn't see it, but I knew that somewhere on that hankerchief, the Uchiha family emblem had been stitched, rather sloppily, onto it. My lips turned slightly upward as I remembered how it got there. It had been my mother's birthday and, as children, my brother and I couldn't buy anything fore we were only 8 and 13 years old, respectively. We worked in farms and fields with some of the townspeople such as Umino Iruka and Hatake Kakashi (we used to laugh at how Kakashi's name suited his job) but we were not paid. We had wanted to do something special for our mother when my brother had suggested we stitch our family's emblem onto her favorite hankerchief, which was a gift from Father's mother at their wedding. At that time, we had no idea how to sew, much less stitch, so we eventually went and got help from out parents' friends, the Namikaze's. Kushina, the wife to Namikaze Minato, didn't have have time to help us because she was busy with chores and had sent us to her husband, who had been a little embarassed when she revealed he knew how to stitch, something normally only women knew how to do. But in the end, he taught us a small amount on how to stitch and told us that we should do it ourselves so that it would mean more to our mother. It took hours but we somehow managed to get the Uchiha fan on her hankerchief. When we gave it to her, she was over delighted and gave us both a hug and a kiss on the forehead._

_Back then, I didn't think it meant that much to her and had thought she stored it in the wooden chest in the room she shared with Father. The chest held items of some sort of sentimental value, no matter how small, so in my head it made sense, though I didn't tell my brother this, I knew it would crush his spirits. But now, eight years later, she still uses it. I was mildly surprised when I saw her bring it to her son's funeral._

_I frowned when I thought of that word. Funeral. It didn't sound right even in my head and I'm sure if I said it, it would leave a bitter, unwanted taste in my mouth. I turned my head from my parents to look around at the people who are also attending this service. My eyes fell on the forementioned Namikaze's and their son, Naruto. Minato was looking down at the ground near his feet with saddened eyes because, like me, he couldn't bear to watch the burial of my younger brother. Kushina was clinging to left his arm, her head also bowed but her eyes were closed but I knew if they were open, they'd hold the same emotions as her husband. Their son, however, was openly crying and glaring at the ground with anger. His jaw was clenching and unclenching and at his sides, his hands were tightly fisted, his fingernails digging into his skin causing blood to drip from his palms._

_Naruto had been my brother's best and only friend. My brother was not exactly what you would call 'friendly', so I was surprised when he had first brought home the blond haired boy. Before this happened, he had been quiet and kept mostly to himself but if you got him talking, he was rude and vulgar. But Naruto was completely different; he was confident, loud, cheerful and I heard from some people in the village that he was a prankster. Not only were their personalities different, but they were physically opposite. Naruto was a blonde haired boy with sun-kissed skin, sky blue eyes and three marks along each of his cheeks which oddly resembled whiskers. But my brother had black hair that spiked up in the back and coal black eyes to match, which greatly contrasted with his pale skin. When they had first met, they instantly hated each other. They competed against each other, fought against each other and exchanged rather gruesome words with each other._

_This went on for five long years until one day, my brother saw Naruto getting bullied by other children. They were calling him 'Kitsune', a demon fox, because of the whisker-like marks on his face. My brother had then beat them up, saying that bullying was disgraceful, and helped Naruto to his feet. Naruto had smiled and declared themselves 'best friends', much to my brother's dismay. Of course, I heard this story from my brother himself, he was rather upset that he had to 'babysit an idiot'. They started acting civil with each other, though I knew they fought often, it would be strange for them not to be. I'm sure if my brother was still alive, he would strongly deny being friends with 'that dobe.'_

_I continued looking around the funeral (I still hated that word) before my eyes landed on Hatake Kakashi. He was a strange man, always wearing a mask to cover his nose and mouth and a headband covering his left eye, but he was good man. He lived outside the town in the country so he could grow crops and, as I mentioned before, me and my brother used to laugh at his well-fitted name. His surname, Hatake, meant fields and his given name, Kakashi, meant scarecrow. We often visited him in his fields to help him. Our father had strongly disapproved of this, because our family was a wealthy one and we didn't have to work at such a young age like the other children. There was also some bad blood between the Uchiha and Kakashi for reasons I'm not fully aware of. We had argued that we wanted to experience what it was like to be like other children our age; some of them glared at us and cursed our names under their breath. Father had later relunctantly agreed to our descision. After that, Kakashi had become like a second father to us, or, as my brother delicately put it, 'the weird uncle who lives on the farm.'_

_Right now, Kakashi was one of the few who was strong enough to watch my younger brother be lowered into his eternal resting place, the only other one being my father. His only visible black eye was hardened with no signs of tears appearing. Nonetheless, I could see the emotion that was in everybody else's eyes and another emotion, one that resembled guilt. I'm sure it was because my brother was murdered near his farm. He said he had heard screaming but assumed it was a prank and ignored it, though he eventually went outside when it didn't stop. He found the…the body and had called the leader of this village, Senju Tsunade._

_I could feel the long-awaited tears prickling at my coal black eyes, identical to those of my brother's, but I held them back. I couldn't cry, not after I held them back for so long. I haven't cried a tear since I heard of his death a week ago, but my mother had fallen to her knees, immediately breaking down at the news of her second son's death. My father had looked exactly as he is right now. Maybe that was how my expression was back then, maybe it still is but anyone who knew me well enough, knew I was pretty damn close to sobbing as my mother is now. I'm glad I'm not close enough to anyone for them to know that, save for my parents and Kakashi, of course._

_Speaking of the gray-haired man, he had turned his gaze to me and a silent understanding seemed to shine from his eye. I nodded in acknowledgement and his eye closed and arched up a little, indicating that he was sadly smiling underneath his dark blue mask. I finally switched my gaze to my brother's grave. I couldn't see his casket but no one needed to tell me it was in the ground. My heart started to ache as they started to put dirt onto where he lay. It felt as if there was a hole in my heart, which was previously filled with my brother. Today, they weren't just burying my younger brother, they were burying a piece of my heart._

_I suddenly felt warm water on face and I knew that it was tears streaming from my eyes. My facial expression didn't change, it was still as stoic as my father's, the one exception being nonstop tears flowing down my cheeks. My eyes widened when I felt a hand clamp down on my right shoulder. I turned towards that direction and saw that it was my father. He looked at me with respect and sqeezed my shoulder affectionately and I didn't need words to tell me that he was proud of me for finally letting that burden off my shoulders. It was a small exchange, but it made me happy for reasons I can't explain. He withdrew his arm and placed it around my mother and gave her a kiss on the forehead._

_I looked back at the grave and continued to cry._

_In a matter of minutes, my brother was completely buried and my tears have finally stopped, though I could feel where they had dried. I noticed that the only ones still here were my mother and father, but I caught my father's eyes and they were telling me he knew that I needed some time alone with my brother. I nodded and he started to walk out of the Uchiha Cemetary with Mother in his arms. I waited until they were out of sight before I walked onto the freshly dug ground in front of my brother's headstone. I glanced at the grave next to him and noticed that it's our cousin, Shisui's grave. He had died eight years before by drowning in the Naka River. I found it ironic because his name meant 'death water.' I felt even more sadness clench my heart when I thought about him but I quickly looked away and looked back at my brother's headstone._

_I sighed._

_"Hey, Otouto," I said as calmly as I could but my voice came out shaky. "I'm sorry. Though I don't know what I'm guilty of."_

_If he were alive, he would've been laughing at me, calling me an idiot. Of course I would have retaliated by calling him 'foolish otouto.' He would then pout and I would poke him lovingly on the forehead. But I won't ever get to do that, not anymore._

_"What else are you supposed to say to a dead person?" I asked him. I'm sure he would've come up with something to tell me if I were the first to pass on. "Do I tell you I miss you so much it hurts even though it hasn't even been a full week? Or do I tell you how much I hate you right now for leaving me behind? Or do I say 'I love you' over and over?" I can feel new tears forming as it blurs my vision a little bit. "Even if it isn't, I'd tell you these things because, wherever you are now, I would hope you'd be able to hear my words. Otherwise, why would I have a conversation with a dead person?" My question went unanswered, as I expected it to be, but I still waited to see if he would._

_I didn't speak anymore words after that and stayed there until dusk, re-reading his headstone's words over and over again._

Uchiha Sasuke

July 23, 1698 – October 29, 1714

Beloved Son And Brother

May He Forever Rest In Peace

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**A/n: Hey, so, new story! This is my first attempt at a plot and hopefully it will turn out good. I came up with it while trying to avoid homework because that's where all authors get their inspiration :) Also I know the summary sucks, it took me like 25 minutes coming up with one T.T Oh and the first 2 or 3 chapter will be flashbacks of their human lives (well at least Itachi's, obviously Sasuke's already dead) Anyways, thanks for reading and please tell me what you think :)**


	2. Pray for Me

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the songs used in this story.**

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**Chapter 2: Pray for me**

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_I painted somebody, I painted some more_

_I painted a house and I opened the door_

_I made her come inside, I made her feel warm_

_I mended her heartache, the one that she tore_

_**- Pray for me,**_** Queen Adreena**

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_It's been two days since Sasuke's funeral and I seem to be suspecting everyone of his murder._

_Right now, I was walking along the dirt paths of Konoha in the middle of the night. I thought that the night sky and cool breeze would help to ease my frantic thoughts but that was deemed unsuccessful. I still trusted no one, not even Kakashi. Though I never once voiced my suspicions, I knew that if I did everyone would surely think I was being paranoid or that my grief was causing me irrational thoughts. Maybe I was being paranoid but that didn't change the fact that somebody murdered my little brother and could possibly be out for more blood; specifically Uchiha blood. There were many people who would want the Uchiha dead and when I thought about the people who would actually act upon their blood lust, only one name came to mind:_

_Shimura Danzo._

_He was one of the village councilers who worked with the village leader, Tsunade. Her word was their's but it was obvious that they would go behind her back if they didn't agree with what her word was. They've done it before, I'm sure, but among them all, Danzo was the most dispicable and untrustworthy one. This may or may not have been true but I had once heard from bitter relatives that he tried to 'get rid' of the Uchiha clan. They said that he thought they were going to rise against the village and had started a plan to eradicate us. Fortunately, the previous leader of the village, Sarutobi Hiruzen, caught wind of this plan and immediately stopped it. I don't know what happened after that but I had figured the matter was resolved._

_But now I was having doubts._

_It was possible Danzo killed my brother though I didn't know why he would start with the youngest member of the clan, it would make more sense to start with the clan head which, sadly, was my father. Even if my suspicions were correct, why would Danzo restart this after so many years? Plus Sasuke would've been able to take that old man, unless…unless Danzo had accomplices. For all I knew, Tsunade could've been in on this._

_Damn it! I didn't know who to trust anymore._

_As I continued to walk, I noticed my feet had led me to the Uchiha Cemetary. I stopped at the entrance, hesitant to continue on the path. I knew where I was going to end up, but my body moved ahead anyways. I started to look around and saw that there many graves here, possibly 200. I didn't know how long my family has been around but it must've been awhile. Many of them were probably already forgotten and I feared Sasuke would become like them._

_I shook my head, trying not to think about that and instead observed my surroundings, (besides the headstones) something I didn't do two days ago. I noticed the green grass was wet with dew, (probably from the rain that returned after Sasuke's funeral) and that it squished under my shoes. I looked up to the sky and saw clouds obstucting my view from the moon and stars which disappointed me a little bit. Nothing else was there to look at except for graves and trees._

_Eventually, I made it to my destination. The headstone was a little wet from rain and I briefly wondered if the raindrops had seeped deep enough into the ground to reach Sasuke. As I did before, I kept re-reading his tombstone's words, though I didn't take any meaning from them so I could keep myself from crying and it seemed to have worked (for now at least). I still couldn't help but find it unfair. He was too young; I was the eldest of us two, I should've gone before him. I sunk to my knees on the wet ground and found myself not caring that my pants were soaked in mud. It was the farthest thing from my mind._

_I felt the hole in my chest get bigger as I continued to look at his headstone. He may have not known it but he was my best friend, my confident and the closest thing to my heart. To have him ripped away from me so suddenly made it hard for me to breathe. It felt like I haven't breathed in weeks but the beating in my chest proved me wrong. It was hard to believe; how could a live man feel so dead? The only emotion I've felt was sadness and maybe it would remain that way. Maybe I would never again feel happiness. I wouldn't be able to, not without my brother by my side. I would've done anything to be by his._

_My eyes suddenly widened. There was a way…to be by his side again. But was I so mad to bring the thought of suicide to mind? Was I even strong enough to do it? No, I thought, was I weak enough to do it? If I were to go through with it, how would I leave this world? Stab myself? Hang myself? Bite my tongue? Was it really so easy to end my life that all I had to do was a few quick movements? We humans really are too fragile. Fragile enough to actually take their own lives._

_I will not be considered as such. I am not weak enough to...Sasuke would have never wanted me to to do that to myself; he'd want me to live. I sighed as I lifted a hand to my forehead and rubbed my temples, recovering from my moment of insanity. I massaged the area in a soothing circular motion as I took deep breaths, contemplating what I was just thinking about. Really, what has gotten in to me lately? First paranoia and now sucicidal thoughts? I must have finally lost it. After all, I'm the only one who has reacted this badly to Sasuke's death. My mother was too smart to act on such actions, my father was too prideful to consider something as absurd as suicide and it wouldn't even come up in Naruto's mind. Everyone else wasn't as close to Sasuke as us four had been, aside from Kakashi but I knew he wouldn't abandon this world; he struck me as a man who feared death._

_I brought my hands back to my sides with what seemed like the millionth time I've sighed this past week. I sat there for just a moment, battling with myself as to if I should get up and go home or stay here for a while longer. I played with the green grass next to my knees (which started to ache from standing on them too long) as I did so but eventually my logical side won saying I would catch a cold if I stayed out here too long. I moved to get up but the second I did, arms wrapped around me._

_I stiffened from the sudden touch and immediately stopped the movements I was making, any and all of my previous thoughts gone._

_What the hell is this person doing? And why? Who would be at the Uchiha cemetary so late (besides me)? I didn't look behind me to see who it was, or rather I couldn't, and instead looked down at his arms. They were a young man's arms as they were too muscular to be a woman's but looked too delicate to be a full grown man's. They were pale but not so much you would think he was ill and were covered by white sleeves, most likely from a yukata. His arms were coming from behind me and were wrapped around my midsection, his hands interlocked together in front of me. I felt his head resting on my back and that made me feel even more uncomfortable than I was a second ago._

_I didn't speak; I waited for him to make the first move._

_He chuckled at me. My breath hitched as I felt his warm breath on my back. He continued to chuckle even more and for some reason, my body relaxed at the beautiful sound. It sounded familiar to me but I couldn't find the face to match his voice. I've heard it before, I knew this, but I couldn't hear it loud enough to determine whose voice it was._

_"What's the matter?" the man said in a silky voice._

_"W-what are you doing?__," I stuttered out shakily, unsuccessfully trying to keep my voice calm. "Who are you?"_

_"That's a little cruel." he said in a childish voice but it quickly lowered into a more sly voice__."It's barely even been a week and you've already forgotten my voice. Shame on you, Nii-san."_

_W-what the hell? This is...Sasuke's voice. No, that's...impossible. I've just gone crazy from the grief, that must be it. Because there isn't a chance that my little brother is behind me, alive and well. Maybe no one's even behind me and I'm just imagining it all. I tried to move, but found the person's grip around me was too strong; I guess he really was there. But that didn't mean he was my brother. I wouldn't listen to this man's (boy's?) lies. I refused to. I tried to roughly shake his arms off me but to no avail._

_The person didn't seem to like that. __"What's wrong, Nii-san? I thought you missed me."_

_"You're not my brother. He's dead," I said in a cold voice. This person deserved nothing more than that._

_He showed no signs of being affected by my words and instead sighed. "You're right. I _am_ dead. But that doesn't mean I'm not here."_

_I quit my efforts of shaking him off and froze. _

Huh? What does that even mean?

_"What are you-"_

_"If you were to turn around, and actually see my face, your brother's face, would you believe me then?" He asked with genuine curiousity. Was this person insane? There was no way he could have the same face as my little brother._

_"Of course not! Why would I believe you to my little brother? Even if you were to look like him..."_

_I had a feeling this person was frowning; those words seemed to have silenced him. I couldn't help but feel victorious in shutting him up. I caught him in his own lie and he will pay for it, one way or another; not a lot of people knew I get angry quite easily, it just depended on what you were doing to piss me off. And this made the top of my list._

_"Then...how would you like me to prove it?"_

_"What?"_

_"How would you like me to prove to you that I am Uchiha Sasuke?" This person was clearly mad, but I decided to humour him; maybe then he would let me go._

_"Fine. Tell me something only Sasuke would know."_

_I could practically _feel _him smirk. "Alright then. What would you like me to tell you? The time we almost burned down Kakashi's barn? Or the time I 'accidentally' cut your hair when we were younger? Or how about when I nearly killed Naruto when he alomst spilled the beans to Mother and Father about my first kiss?"_

_My eyes widened at his last statement. There was no way he knew about _that_. Nobody, except for Naruto, Sasuke and myself knew about it; Sasuke was far too ashamed to tell anyone else but me._

_"Oh, I guess the last one caught your attention, huh? Trust me, the last thing I want to do is to _repeat_ the horrible events that transpired that day."_

_This couldn't be true. "No, you're not him..."_

_"But for you, I'll tell the story," he started, ignoring me. "It was when me and Naruto had barely become friends. Of course we still got into fights but they weren't as serious as before."_

_"It's impossible..."_

_"One day when we were fighting, Naruto was roughly pushed by someone who was running by..."_

_"Stop...please."_

_My plea fell on deaf ears. "So much so, he crashed into me and his lips fell on mine. Of course I kicked him where it hurts but I swear, I didn't stop washing my mouth out with soap for a week!"_

_I slouched in his hold, my head bowed. My eyes were still widened and somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought they might fall out. Was this really Sasuke? My little brother...was alive? I was so shocked beyond imagination that I didn't even notice him get up. It wasn't until he pulled me up to my feet with impressive strength that I realized his arms were no longer around me. He was still behind me, hidden from my eyes. I knew it was his way of saying 'I'm ready when you are' and I appreciated the small act; this was a lot to take in. My brother was killed a week ago and then all of a sudden, he's back as if nothing happened. Was he even really killed?_

_I took a deep breath and stopped my body's tremors; I didn't even realize I was doing it until my eyes focused on my hands. I slowly started turning around, hesitant to look at my brother. For a split second, my heart sank with fear that this was all a prank masterfully done by some cruel person who was messing with head but I quickly dismissed the thought as I, for the first time since his supposed death, finally looked at my brother's face._

_"Sasuke…" I said in disbelief. He looked different but at the same time, he looked exactly the same. His skin was paler but not by much and it seemed to glow in the light of the moon. His eyes were the same obsidian color but for some reason they looked darker, like they were an endless pool of darkness. His hair was just as black and spiky as it was before and I found myself running my fingers through it; his eyes softened at the action. Overall, he was more beautiful than he was before with his black locks and eyes greatly contrasting with his snow white skin._

_He softly smiled at me, satisfied I finally called him by his name. Unable to contain myself any longer, I abruptly hugged him, almost knocking him down in the process. He chuckled again at my actions and wrapped his own arms around me. _

_"How…?" I asked._

_"It's a long story."_

_At the moment, I couldn't care less about the story, I finally had my brother in my arms once more. I savored the feeling of seeing him again, feeling him again. I could feel warm tears running down my cheeks, dripping onto Sasuke's solid white yukata. This time though, they were tears of joy, something I didn't believe existed until now. I've only felt this feeling once, this feeling of true happiness; something that can't be stolen or mimicked, for people experiece it very rarely. The first time was when Sasuke was born. I remember repeating 'I'm a big brother!' in my mind over and over again. I'm sure Mother and Father were feeling the same happiness then as I am now. I was so over-joyed to see my brother, it didn't even register in my brain that the chest that was pressed against mine had no heart beat._

_Wait. Mother and Father..._

_I pulled back from the hug, confusing Sasuke, and grabbed one of his hands. __"C'mon," I smiled as I started pulling him, walking in a slightly hurried motion towards the cemetary entrance._

_"Where are we going?" He asked in a slighly concerned tone though he kept walking behind me, our hands still connected._

_"Home. Mother and Father will be happy t-" I cut myself off when he stopped. I looked back at him and saw that he was standing still, his thick bangs covering his eyes and his smile no longer on his face. My own smile dropped a little when I saw him. "Why are you stopping?"_

_He looked up at me with cold red eyes. When did his eyes start looking so much like a demon's? Or rather, how? I froze as I felt a bead of sweat run down my neck. Sweat? Why was I sweating? I wasn't...scared, was I? No, never. Not of Sasuke. So why did my blood feel so cold?_

_"I can't go back," he spoke with an almost dead voice; the words that left his lips halted my confusion of his eyes._

_"What do mean, Otouto?" I asked as his arm went limp in my hands. Why didn't he want to see Mother and Father? They would be more happy than the time he was born; his 'death' had hit them hard. You can't just go back to normal after your second born dies, it's more impossible than Sasuke being alive right now._

_"I mean that I can't see our parents," his voice lowered as if to threaten me. "Not now, not ever."_

_No! He can't do this! He revealed himself to me but not our parents? I can't keep that kind of secret from them! Does he not realize what burden he's putting on my shoulders? I gripped his hand in a strong hold, my fingernails piercing his skin though no wound formed._

_"What the hell, Sasuke?!" I yelled angrily at him. He didn't wince at my tone but he knew I was furious whenever I used his name directly at him; I usually called him otouto. "If you can't see our parents, then why am I an exception?!"_

_His eyes suddenly showed a hint of sadness but he must've realized his mistake because he quickly hid his emotions. My heart started to race when he did that, fearing it to be a sign of something bad. I opened my mouth to question it (and silently prayed to God the answer wasn't what I feared) but he beat me to it._

_"I just happened to see you."_

_I looked at him shocked for a second before closing my eyes in anger and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. He lifted his hand to his cheek with a suprised expression on his face, as if he didn't expect it; he should've after spouting that nonsense. As he layed on the ground, I glared at him with anger in my eyes._

_"You should know by now that I can tell when you're lying, Sasuke," I said in the same cold tone of when I first adressed him as a stranger. He widened his eyes momentarily before looking at the ground in something akin to shame; I wasn't sure if it really was or if he was just mocking me. Whatever it was, he immediatley stopped and got back up to his feet. Once he did, he returned a dark glare of his own to me and even though his eyes were back to their normal color, I felt a chill go down my spine. That alone made more anger pulse through my veins. But we each stayed still and continued our glaring match, as if daring the other to move. I briefly wondered how it went from hugging to glaring in a matter of minutes but banished it from my mind when no answer came._

_"How can you tell?" he asked in a venomous tone. "How can you tell if I'm lying or not?"_

_I scoffed "You never were good at concealing your emotions." His expression turned into confusion at my statement. I decided to clarify for him. "Your eyes show sadness."_

_His features softened at my words and he no longer bothered hiding his forementioned sadness._

_"So, why? Why are you sad?" I asked in a soft voice. He smiled a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. He looked down to his left, unable to keep eye contact with me._

_"You know," he said in a quiet voice, completely ignoring my question. "I wasn't lying. I really did just happen to see you." My eyes widened as he kept on speaking. "I wasn't planning to see you or anything, but I did and I had to talk to you, even if would have been the last time..."_

_"S-Sasuke, what are you saying?" I asked with fear in my words._

_"I came to say goodbye."_

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**A/n: So that's it! Sorry it took so long to update, I've been busy with homework :P I didn't really like how this chapter came out, it seemed rushed to me. Also, I'd like to mention a couple of changes to this story: 1. There won't be any ItaSasu T.T I'm sorry to those who wanted it but I'm just going to keep it as a brotherly love fic, okay? I have my reasons so, please no flaming. 2. ****I've changed the rating from M to T because I don't think it's necessary, after all, I can't write lemons. Not only do I suck at it, but I share this computer with a family. 3. I don't have any pairings in this story and I not sure if there will be in the future.**

**Despite the few changes, I hope you continue with this fic :) I'd also like to thank **BelovedShadow **for taking the time to read and review this story and anybody else who read it.**

**Please review this chapter and tell me what you think :) Ja ne!**


	3. Blue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the songs used in this story.**

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**Chapter 3: Blue**

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_I fell into the moon __and it covered you in blue_

_I fell into the moon_

_Can I make it right?_

_Can I spend the night alone?_

**_- Blue, _Angie Hart**

* * *

_My blood froze. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I simply stared at my little brother like a dumbstruck fool. He continued to look down at the ground, serenely smiling like he didn't just say the last words I'd ever want to hear from him. Was he really as calm as he looked? I've always been able to read my brother like an open book, I did not even a second ago but now…_

_I stared at him for what seemed like hours but in reality it was only a moment. I couldn't speak, my lips wouldn't listen to my brain and it looked like he wasn't going to speak any time soon either. We waited for each other to say something, some sort of response to his statement. Even if I could force my voice out, I wouldn't know how to respond to him. What was I supposed to say? Did _he _even know what to say? As I stared at him, I tried to figure out what he was thinking but it was like his mind was blank; like there were absolutely no thoughts going through his head. Needless to say I gave up after a minute of squinting my eyes at him. But then I saw surprise cross his features and he immediately whipped his head to the left, his body tensing; he looked like a child who got caught sneaking out late at night._

_With gritted teeth, he ground out, "What are _you _doing here?"_

_I turned my widened gaze to where his eyes were looking and almost instantly, someone appeared in the spot. I slightly jumped at the sudden appearance and my jaw dropped at the sight of a gray haired man with a mask covering the lower half of his face and a black eyepatch over one of his eyes, replacing his usual headband._

"_Kakashi?" I asked in a shocked voice, but the man didn't even look at me, he was looking at Sasuke with anger in his eye. I've never seen him angry before._

"_I should be the one asking that," he said with a stern tone I would hear my father use all the time. Sasuke only gritted his teeth harder and glared at him. "I told you not to leave the barn."_

"_Tch," Sasuke scoffed at him, his body still tense as if he was ready to fight. Both of them payed me no mind and I couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on. Kakashi knew Sasuke didn't really die, but how? Was he in on this from the start? I felt a little hurt that my little brother would trust Kakashi enough with this (whatever 'this' was) but not me._

"_I just wanted to go on a walk to get some fresh air, is that so bad?," Sasuke smirked as he said this, trying to piss off the gray haired man; he used to do that all the time when we were younger. It seemed he succeeded in his mission as Kakashi looked at him with a glare that spelt out his death._

"_Then, how did you end up _here _with _him_?" he asked, finally acknowledging my presence though I felt a bit uncomfortable being pulled into something I didn't even know about._

_Sasuke's smirk widened at his inquiery. "I wanted to see what my grave looked like and I just so happened to run into him."_

_Kakashi obviously didn't believe him; he wasn't someone who believed in coincedences. "And?" he futher asked, hoping to get more out of him._

"_That's all there is to the story, _Tou-san_," he replied. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the sudden nickname and I could've sworn I saw a hint of guilt spark in his visible eye._

"_Don't you ever call me that again," he said in a low, threatening voice. I wondered why the odd nickname got to him, he was usually so cool headed but after all I've seen tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them started throwing a temper tantrum._

"_Why not?" Sasuke asked with fake curiousity, "It's what you are, right? You made me a-"_

"Sasuke! Enough!" _Kakashi commanded in a voice that stopped Sasuke._

_I stared at him with surprise in my eyes. What was happening? Why were they acting like this? Like they've hated each other for years? Sasuke has never acted this way with Kakashi. He used to sometimes tease him, yes, but not so much that the Hatake would actually get mad. I turned my eyes to my little brother to observe his reaction only to see that sinister smirk still plastered on his face; he didn't seem surprised at all._

"_You should watch your temper, Kakashi," he said in a mocking voice, "It can get you into trouble some day."_

"_You should watch your mouth, Sasuke" Kakashi replied with the same tone, "It can get you into trouble some day."_

_My little brother uncharacteristically laughed at his comment. "True! But I wonder who would have the most trouble?" The gray haired man watched with wearyness and ever so slight amusement at the boy. "But then again, we would be able to handle anyone now, right? And that's all thanks to you. Oh! Did I ever thank you?"_

"_Sasuke…Let's just go back."_

"_But I was having so much fun! How rude of you to interupt a brothers' reunion," he said with the same mocking voice. I knew he was lying about having fun, we were just staring at each other (unless he considered that fun). Kakashi probably saved us from a night of silence. "Have you ever had a brother, Kakashi?"_

"_Sasuke," he repeated, "Let's go back."_

_His smirk immediately dropped and turned into a frown. I'm sure my lips did the same thing. In a more serious voice, he asked "Ne, what are you going to do?"_

"_What do you mean?" the one-eyed man asked._

"_What are you going to do about Nii-san?" What he said seemed to click in Kakashi's mind. "He saw us. He saw me. I'm sure he'll eventually tell someone about this night. They'd think he's gone mad. So, what are you going to do?"_

_What clicked in Kakashi's mind, clicked in mine. What my brother said before, he just happened to see me. I wasn't supposed to see him or talk to him. And from how Kakashi is talking, he was going to take Sasuke away again. I still had no answers to his faked death or the Hatake's invovlement or even what they were conversing about._

"_You have two choices, Kakashi," Sasuke continued. "Which one?"_

"_What are you both talking about?," I suddenly asked angrilly. They both turned to look at me, no expressions on their face. Before either of them could interupt me, I continued with my questions. "Why are you fighting? Why did you fake your death? Why does Kakashi know about it but I don't? Why won't either of you talk to me?"_

_They stared at me with guilt in their eyes. They _should_ feel guilty for not letting me in on this plan. They should know they can trust me. Kakashi sighed in exhaustion._

"_Nii-san…" my brother said in a small voice._

"_I'll handle it, Sasuke," Kakashi said with a solemn tone. What was he talking about? Was he finaly going to tell me everything? Sasuke's eyes, which widened in horror, told me, no, he wasn't. The black haired boy suddenly appeared in front of me, blocking me from him. His back was faced towards me but I could tell they were staring defiantly at the man. "What are you-"_

"_I'll tell him everything," he said in a blank tone._

_Kakashi's eye slightly widened before going back to its normal size. "You do know what that means, don't you?" he asked in a concerned voice. The sudden change in tone surprised me, but I continued to watch with confusion painted on my face._

"_Yes," he said sadly but was still confident in his choice, "I do."_

"_And you know what responsibility you'll hold?"_

_Sasuke looked down, his bangs covering his eyes. "Yes, I do."_

_Kakashi watched him with sadness for a moment before his eye quickly flickered to me for a second. It was so quick, I almost didn't see it. He then nodded at Sasuke and I saw my brother's body finally relax into a more comfortable position and I could faintly hear a sigh of relief release from him._

"_I'll see you then," the man said before calmly walking away. We stared at him until he disappeared from our sight, mixing in with the shadows._

_Sasuke turned around to look at me. "Aniki," he said with sadness in his voice and used formality to show how serious he was, almost the same way I say his name when I am serious._

"_What was that all about?" I asked, " I've never seen you and Kakashi fight like that before. You were basically at each other's throats."_

_He slightly smiled at that and said, "No, we were just messing around." I stared at him with disbelief in my eyes, my jaw probably on the ground. "Don't worry about it." His small smile dropped once more. "Now, ask whatever you want."_

_I sorted out my thoughts to decide what to ask first. The most logical one was, "Why did you fake your death?"_

"_I told you," he started. "I _did _die."_

"_But that makes no sense! You're here, in front of me, walking and talking, not laying in the ground, rotting," I said, putting my hands on his shoulders to prove my point._

"_For you to understand, all those logical thoughts in your head have to be thrown out," he said, looking up at me, "Can you do that?"_

_I tightened my grip on his shoulders, frightened of what this truth was. To understand it…I have to think unrealistically. Was the truth of everything so extravagent? Did I really want to know it? Would it ruin my relationship with my brother? I didn't know what to think. I must've been shaking because Sasuke suddenly put one of his hands on my arm and lowered it from his shoulders, my other arm automatically following. He put his hand into mine and squeezed it, reassuring me that everything would be alright. I hesitantly nodded._

"_Alright," he started again, "Let's start at the beginning; where everything started. The murder."_

* * *

**3rd POV**

_Sasuke took a deep breath he didn't need; he did it mostly for the calming effect._

"_I was taking a walk that night, the night I 'died'. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going, though now I wish I did," Itachi squeezed Sasuke's hand to comfort him. " I ended up in the country, somewhere near Kakashi's fields. I didn't hear the sounds coming from behind me before someone attacked. I managed to knock him out but had no idea who this person was; it was just someone's lackey. At first, I thought it was Danzo's but then I noticed the Konoha village symbol was nowhere on his attire."_

_Itachi let out a breath he'd been holding for a while, glad it wasn't Danzo. Sasuke's voice lowered as he continued with the story._

"_The next moment, though, I realized it was someone worse than him." Itachi's eyes widened. Someone worse than that man? Was that even possible? "His name was Orochimaru. He was a snake in a man's body." Sasuke shuddered at the mere thought of him. "He told me he had been after the Uchiha's blood for some time, but he never got the chance…til now. At first I thought he had some sort of grudge against the clan, many people do, I'm sure. But that wasn't it at all. He wanted to know the _taste o_f the Uchiha's blood."_

"_What?" Itachi asked with disbelief in his voice._

"_That night, I learned that humans weren't the most superior race out there. That man, that snake, he was a vampire."_

_The older Uchiha stared at his brother as if he were crazy. But he knew that wasn't true. From what Sasuke was saying, was he suggesting that the legend of vampires existed? It was completely absurd and Itachi had a hard time believing it. There was no way that they were real. The undead couldn't possibly exist! Maybe Sasuke was playing a joke on him or maybe even lying to him! Itachi mentally shook his head. No, this was too elaborate to be a lie and even if it was, what motive would Sasuke have to lie to him? His little brother trusted him with everything. So just what was this?_

_"Nii-san, " Sasuke's voice brought him out of his thoughts._

_The younger Uchiha could tell what his older brother was thinking and if their roles were reversed, he'd probably be thinking the same thing. Seriously, vampires? Unbelievable! It took quite a bit of convincing on a certain someone's part to make Sasuke believe, and the young Uchiha was sure it'd probably be the same for Itachi._

_"It's true," he said in genuine honsesty. __Itachi was conflicted; his brother wasn't crazy and he wasn't a liar. But this story was still insane and he couldn't believe it._

_"Do you want me to prove it to you?" Sasuke asked in a serious tone._

_Itachi looked at him in confusion. How could be possibly show him evidence? "How would y-" He stopped himself short when realization slowly sunk in: Orochimaru attacked Sasuke and his little brother had no means of defense. That vampire easily could've..._

"_Does-does that mean you…are a vampire?" Itachi stuttered out, not quite believing his own words, "But...that can't be possible. It's just-"_

_"Nii-san," Sasuke cut him off. "Look."_

_Itachi watched as his brother opened his mouth to show his teeth which, thankfully, were normal. But Itachi's relief was short-lived as he saw Sasuke's canines grow longer and pointier. Itachi's eyes widened and his heart sank at the sight. At the same time, Sasuke's heart did the same thing. What if Itachi was scared of him now?_

_Itachi's heart crushed even more when he saw that look of despair on his brother's face. But the crushed feeling was quickly overtaken by rage. That man…Orochimaru…turned him? That monster dared to hurt his little brother? No, Itachi would not let him get away with it. He'd rather die than let that snake go unpunished. "I'll kill him," he growled out, not knowing he said it out loud._

_"W-What?" Sasuke asked in shock. He didn't expect his brother to want to defend him. He expected him to stare at him in horror or call him a monster or even run away, but he didn't. That alone made a warm feeling spread through Sasuke's chest and he assumed it was happiness, though he wasn't sure if vampires could feel something like that. He almost smiled but that thought was quickly wiped from his mind as Itachi's words sunk into his brain and panic rose in his heart. "No! You can't!"_

_Itachi looked at him with surprise and slight anger. Why wasn't Sasuke furious with Orochimaru? Didn't he want to kill him as much as Itachi did? Why wasn't he angry at all? All the rage Itachi had towards Orochimaru suddenly shifted to Sasuke. "Why not?!" he shouted, matching his little brother's voice in volume as he sqeezed his hand again, though ithis time nstead of out comfort, it was out of anger._

_"You'll get killed if you do!" Sasuke shouted back. Itachi opened his mouth to argue but Sasuke didn't allow him the chance to. "Vampires have inhuman speed and strength! You wouldn't last a second in a fight with him! And not only that, Orochimaru is one of the strongest vampires in history! Do you really want to go up against that?"_

_"But-"_

_"Do you?!"_

_Itachi clenched his teeth in frustration, knowing what Sasuke said was true. He knew that if he actually confronted Orochimaru, he would get defeated but that didn't mean his anger would magically disappear because of that fact. It was still there and he didn't know what to do with it. He tried to stop his body from shaking from all the adrenaline the anger was giving him by clenching his teeth harder and he started to sqeeze Sasuke's hand so hard that if he were alive, his circulation would've been cut off. Sasuke kept a straight face as his brother did this, there wasn't anything else he could do. Suddenly, Itachi ripped his hand away from Sasuke's and clenched it into a fist and, to his little brother's surprise, threw a punch to a nearby tree._

_"Dammit!" he shouted. He moved to punch the tree again, but before his hand could connect to it, Sasuke appeared in front of him and caught his bloodied fist. Itachi tried to pull his hand back, momentarily forgetting Sasuke was a vampire and thinking he was the stronger one. He failed, of course, to over power his brother and retrieve his hand but he persisted to do so, each attempt weaker that the last. Eventually, he stopped completely, everything finally sinking into his brain. Everything was true. He thought he accepted it before, but he really didn't. Sasuke's strength against his brother made everything real to him. His little brother was a vampire and there was nothing he could do about that fact, not even killing Orochimaru could. He lowered his head to stare at the ground as he tried to remember all the legends he's heard about vampires and wondered which one of the many was true._

"_It wasn't him." Sasuke's voice broke through his wonderings. His body stiffened as he continued to stare at the wet ground, shocked at his little brother's words._

"_What?" he asked, his voice a bit shaken. "What do you mean?"_

_Sasuke sighed in exhaustion, similar to how Kakashi did earlier. _"_Orochimaru wasn't the one who turned me…"_

_Itachi stared almost dumbly at the ground. He felt ridiculous for that outburst, especially now that it was all over nothing. If it wasn't him, who did this to his little brother?_

_"Then, who-"_

_"__If you had let me finish, you would know that," he said sharply with anger in his voice. Itachi tensed up at his voice but felt he deserved it. He stayed quiet so Sasuke could finish. "It's true that Orochimaru was the one who attacked and bit me, but he wasn't the one who turned me. He drained me of almost all my blood before another vampire caught scent of the smell. He tried fighting him but Orochimaru was too strong for him to win against, even he knew that," Sasuke said pointedly,"so he picked me up and ran. He ran to a human's house instead of his own. Of course, it was a home he was welcome to. I trust you know the myth behind that?" He asked._

___Itachi's mind recalled all the myths he knew about vampires and eventually he remembered this particular one Sasuke was talking about: All vampires need an invitation to enter a human's home. From how the story was going, Itachi assumed vampires didn't need the use of an invite to enter another vampire's home. The older Uchiha nodded and Sasuke sighed in relief, thankful he didn't have the need to explain the fact to his brother._

___"All right," he started again, "As I was saying, the vampire ran into a human's house to escape Orochimaru. Luckily, that certain human wasn't in the village that night, otherwise many questions would've been asked," Sasuke sighed before his voice turned solemn. "He tried everything he could to save my life, but nothing worked. Then he asked me a question I'll never forget," he paused, "'Do you want to live or die?'"_

___Itachi slowly lifted his gaze from the ground to look at Sasuke and his heart clenched at the sight. Sasuke's obsidian eyes weren't crying but were shining as if he were about to and Itachi could tell that he was trying really hard to not let his face scrunch up in sadness. After a moment of silence, his face turned back to being blank._

_"I told him I wanted to live," he finished, his voice as blank as his expression._

_"__And then he turned you," Itachi finished sadly. His brother nodded. Itachi hated to further question him, but he had to know who the vampire was. He had to know who turned his little brother. "Who-"_

___"It was Kakashi."_

_The older Uchiha's jaw dropped at the name before it all suddenly made sense. Kakashi was the one who did it. It all added up now. He looked guilty at Sasuke's funeral, he knew about his 'death' and the younger Uchiha had called him 'Tou-san'. He was Sasuke's 'other father'. He was the vampire who turned- no, _saved _his little brother._

_Itachi immeditely stopped his thoughts and looked at his brother. He was hiding his feelings again, something Itachi was starting to hate. He knew his brother was hurting, though whether it was from recalling the event of his death or something else Itachi wasn't aware of yet, the older Uchiha didn't know. Not being able to stand it anymore, Itachi suddenly leaned down and hugged Sasuke._

_His eyes widened at the contact but softened when he realized his older brother was only hugging him. He was surprised, but not shocked. He knew Itachi hated it when Sasuke was sad and in the past, he would do everything in his power to cheer him up, even when sometimes it didn't work. Like now. Despite the small speck of happiness Sasuke felt,__ he didn't hug Itachi back.__  
__  
"Why are y__ou hugging me, Nii-san?" he asked, sadness apparent in his voice now._

_Itachi chuckled humourlessly at the question. "What kind of question is that?" he asked, a small but fake smile on his face (not that Sasuke could see it). "I'm just happy you trusted me enough to tell me that," he closed his eyes. " Thank you."_

_Sasuke's vision started to blur as tears started to form again in his eyes, but he quickly stopped them before they could fall. That small speck of happiness started to spread in his chest once again and he clenched both of his hands, which were still by his side, into fists. "No, Nii-san," he said in a shaky voice as he wrapped his arms around Itachi, much to the older Uchiha's surprise. "Thank you."_

_Itachi's eyes softened at his words. "Why are you thanking me?" he asked._

_Sasuke smiled a small but real smile. "For not being afraid of me."_

_Itachi sqeezed his eyes shut, scared that if he kept them open, tears would fall. "I could _never _be afraid of you, Sasuke. Never."_

_They stayed like that, hugging each other tightly as if the other was their life line and if they let go, they would disappear. But neither of them would allow it, they couldn't be separated, not again. And, for a moment, everything was perfect. But, unfortunately, perfection doesn't last and Sasuke knew this. He also knew the next words out of his mouth would shatter this perfect illusion, because that's all it was. An illusion he created for Itachi (and himself), if only to give him one moment of peace, a moment of happiness before every bit of this illusion turned to ash._

_"I'm sorry," he said in a broken voice, "But I still have to say goodbye."_

_Itachi's grip tightened on Sasuke in fear and his eyes opened only to widen in horror. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real. __It had to be a trick or a lie or something because this wasn't happening, it was impossible._

_"What are you talking about?" Itachi asked in a equally broken voice. "Everything is finally okay, you don't have to leave."_

_"Nii-san-"_

_"We can return home, can't we?" Itachi asked desperately in a small voice, completely ignoring Sasuke. Warm tears started to slide down his cheeks only to soak up in Sasuke's white yukata, making small, slightly darker circles on the material._

_"Nii-san-"_

_"Just because you're a vampire, doesn't mean you can't come back."_

_"_Itachi!_" Sasuke shouted, finally getting his older brother's attention from his quiet ramblings. Itachi stopped and waited for Sasuke to continue. "That's exactly why I have to leave; it's not safe for the village if I stay here."_

_"But Kakashi is a vampire and everyone is completely fine!" he argued, his voice raising. "Why is it different for you?!"_

_"Becuase Kakashi is older and has more self control," Sasuke said, his voice suddenly quieting. "I'm a new vampire and...I don't trust myself around humans."_

_Itachi couldn't speak for a moment. Was he saying that he could...kill the whole village just because he got hungry? But his little brother wouldn't do that! "But you're fine with me, you-"_

_"I'm barely holding myself back," Sasuke said as he pulled away from the hug._

_Itachi looked at him, not believing any of this to be true. His brother would never hurt anyone, especially him! He wasn't some sort of monster, like Orochimaru! Sasuke was his baby brother, he could never view him as a monster. He couldn't imagine him killing a human being or feasting off their blood as if it was merely food! Sasuke had more control than that! He could find some other way to survive, like drinking animal's blood or something!_

_Itachi's eyes suddenly widened with realization._

_"This-this is all just some kind of dream, isn't it?" he asked in a slightly crazed voice. Sasuke only watched as his brother continue with his 'theory'. "It has to be, right? There's no other explanation! __This is all just one big dream! And when I wake up, you'll be alive right?" Itachi asked, dropping to his knees, desperate for an answer. Even he knew what he was spouting was complete nonsense. More tears streamed down his face and he roughly wiped them away, trying to get rid of them, but his efforts were all thwarted. He must've looked pathetic to Sasuke who was looking at him with pity._

_"Right?!" he shouted._

_It was a long moment of silence after that. Sasuke just stared at his brother, contemplating what he should do. Itachi looked slightly insane with his hair ribbon coming undone making some of his long, black locks hang around his head and his eyes were red from crying, the tears still coming and his face was all scrunched up. He didn't know what to do with his brother. He had told Kakashi that the gray haired man had two options and, unfortunately, those were his same options. He started walking towards Itachi, almost cautiously, and knelt down on the ground with him. His brother continued sobbing, silently praying that this was all fake, and didn't take notice to Sasuke's presence. _

_The young Uchiha lifted his arm and gently brushed a couple of black strands of hair out of Itachi's face, pushing them behind his ear. His brother looked up at him with sad eyes and he almost looked like a child to him. Sasuke smiled at him and hugged him once again, trying to calm Itachi. To his relief, he hugged back, his sobbing becoming more quiet._

_"Are you alright?" Sasuke quietly asked, scared that if his voice was any louder, Itachi would lose it again._

_The older Uchiha leaned on his little brother, exhausted. The warm, salty tears made his eyes tired and all he wanted to do was sleep but he forcefully kept himself awake and nodded his head against Sasuke's shoulder._

_"Yes," he responded._

_Sasuke smiled. "I promise I won't ever leave you," Itachi's hopes rose when he said that. "But I can't stay here."_

_Itachi slowly pulled back from his brother's arms. He looked at Sasuke with a questioning look on his face._

_"But, how-"_

_"So," Sasuke started, a smile still plastered on his face. "Do you want to live or die?"_

* * *

**A/n: I'm so sorry for the late update! Procrastination is a pain in the ass, isn't it? The first time I wrote this, half of it got erased and, man did that suck! But I tried my best to remember what I wrote and then some. It's all more or less there so I guess everything worked out fine. Sorry if it seems to rushed or suckish, I promise the next chapter will be better (also last flashback chapter). Anyways, I like to thank **Wraith **and **BelovedShadow **for reviewing, thanks guys! Next chapter will be a faster update, promise.**

**Ja ne!**


	4. Prelude 12 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the songs used in this story.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Prelude 12 21**

* * *

_This is what I brought you this you can keep,_

_This is what I brought you may forget me._

_I promise to depart just promise one thing,_

_Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep._

_**-Prelude 12 21, **_**AFI**

* * *

**Present time**

**Itachi POV**

I remembered my heart beat speeding up at his question. I remembered sweat dropping down my neck while staring at him in slight fear at his grinning face. How could he ask me a question like that with a smile on his lips? The last night I was human was both the best and the worst night of my life. Sasuke truly looked like a monster that night and I scolded myself for even thinking something like that. He was my little brother, not a monster or a murderer.

At least he wasn't that night.

Even though everything I had learned back then was so surreal, I had forced my lips to move to answer that dreaded question. _Do you want to live or die?_ I understood why he would have to ask that, I couldn't be left as I was, I knew too much. Even if he didn't ask me that or if I hadn't of even seen him that night, I wasn't sure I'd be able to continue on as if nothing happened. But still, he looked as if he _wanted _to kill me and that's what shook me to my very core. And despite my fear and ignoring the little voice in the back of my head telling me to run, I muttered the four little words that changed my life.

_I want to live_

He had smiled softly, contradicting the look of blood lust in his eyes. He then leaned down toward my neck and bit me. It only hurt for a moment before everything became numb. For a second, I thought he was going to kill me but he suddenly drew back, his eyes red, fangs still out and blood running down his face from his mouth. He was panting as if he had to force himself to refrain from killing me and then brought his wrist to his mouth and bit it. He didn't flinch from the wound, as to where I did, like it didn't even hurt. He then brought his wrist to my mouth and had told me to drink it. I was disgusted at first but he pushed it to my lips and forced me to drink it. I didn't like the metallic liquid and almost gagged from the taste but after a few seconds, the blood started to become more appealing. I had grabbed the back of his wrist and pulled it closer to my lips.

After a while, I started to get dizzy and Sasuke had pulled his wrist away. The next thing I remembered was unbearable pain. Sasuke later told me that that was the process of being turned into a vampire and that it took me two days to be fully turned; he said it only took him a day. Even though I knew I could never see Mother or Father again and that we couldn't ever be a family, I was happy. I got to be with my brother again and this time for hundreds of years which was more than what I could hope for when I was a human. I chose this life because I couldn't possibly live without my brother; He was my world.

But I wasn't his.

* * *

**_1914 – World War I_**

_The air was thick with the stench of death mixing with the sight and taste of blood all too well and the bodies of soldiers littered around me, only completing this horrorific picture put together by none other than me and my little brother. He stood next to me with blood dripping from his lips which were curled up in a wicked grin, something I had unfortunately grown accoustmed to. We were both dressed in blood-stained military uniforms that we had stolen (and then killed) from men who served their country though I couldn't quite remember which side we were pretending to be on; it didn't matter anyway, we had killed both the enemies and the comrades. This war had started about four months ago but we had only just gotten involved about two weeks ago. Sasuke had gotten excited when he first caught wind of the war and had suggested that we take full advantage of it._

**After all, no one would question why people are killed when a war is in full swing,** _he had said but I had objected to the idea, and I wasn't sure if his next words were to comfort or convince me, _**Think of it as an easy way to get a meal. **

_And now we were in the middle of a battlefield full of decaying bodies having fed not even five minutes ago. I knew I had to kill to eat, it was part of my survival, but that didn't mean I could commit a massacre whenever I wanted._

_It disgusted me._

_It disgusted me even more when I knew Sasuke took great joy in the art of killing. In the first year we were vampires, Kakashi had taught us the basics of hunting our prey, from being unnoticed by our victims to burying the bodies and shortly after we had successfully mastered that, we had parted ways; the gray haired man said he had to 'disappear' from Konoha too but he had insisted that we separate from him so we could learn how to truly be a vampire by experiencing it ourselves; we haven't seen him since then. I remember Kakashi saying that he didn't really enjoy the thrill of the kill and usually fed as less as he could and I agreed with that aspect. So I had been confused when I noticed that every time we hunted, Sasuke always got this look of excitement on his face and I remembered wondering how he could fall so in tune with killing innocent people so quickly. I had later asked him if he liked doing all this, bringing suffering to others and killing people's loved ones. He had responded with a smirk and the words _**Don't you?**

_Before, I had naively thought that all vampires had human emotions, Kakashi and I seemed to have them, why not Sasuke? _

_I hated how wrong I was._

_After I had questioned him, I could tell he started keeping an eye on me, probably catching on that I didn't _enjoy _this life as much as he did and I'm pretty sure he suspected that I would do something to get away from it like abandon him. The thought that I would crush him by abandoning him prevented me from actually doing it._

_But now, it was getting harder and harder to stay with him._

_"Ne, Nii-san," he said, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up at him and watched as he licked his bloodied hands; I tried not to look sickened by this action._

_"What is it?" I asked in reply, my voice devoid of any emotion. He looked almost curiously at me._

_"What's the matter?"_

_My eyes slightly widened for a fraction of a second but I stayed calm, it was normal for a brother to notice something wrong with his brother even if our relationship seemed strained nowadays. At least to me, I couldn't be too sure that Sasuke noticed any distance at all._

_"Nothing," I lied with a false sense of nonchalance, hoping it would convince Sasuke. __He gracefully raised one eyebrow, obviously not buying it. Not unlike me, he could tell when his brother was lying. Nonetheless, I kept up the act. "What makes you think something's wrong?"_

_"You've barely eaten anything since we intervened with this war," he said, trying to sound concerned but I knew he didn't really care about my eating habits, he simply_ noticed _them.__ As long as I was with him, he couldn't care less about how much or how little I ate. I missed the times where he would force me to eat something if I ever tried to skip even one meal. It made me wonder what has happened in these past two centuries; it may have seemed like a long time to any human but years didn't matter to a vampire._

_"I just haven't been hungry is all."_

_He snorted at that. "Sure, and I hate the taste of blood," he said with heavy sarcasm as he turned to look at me. I could read the distrust in his eyes. Yeah, he wasn't buying my bluff at all. "C'mon," he said in a more serious but playful voice, "Why don't you just admit it?"_

_Slight shock flashed on my face but I quickly changed my expression to a more neutral one, hoping he didn't catch it. But luck just wasn't in my favor today._

_"I mean, it wasn't hard to figure out; _you didn't exactly try to hide it_," his voice darkened and his eyes narrowed at me as if to accuse me of a horrible crime. A sense of dread ran through my heart; I knew a confrontation would eventually come from this._

_"What is it that I need to admit?" I asked, playing dumb and also trying to confirm if he was talking about what I thought he was._

_"You know," he drawled, his voice becoming more angry and his body tensing as if he were ready for violence, "_the fact that you hate the life I gave to you_."_

_I stared at him, sorrow evident in my eyes. I really hated having to do this._

_"Sasuke-"_

_"What was your plan?" he said in a heated tone. "Were you eventually going to leave me? Or were you going to start drinking animal's blood? Or maybe you'd be pathetic enough as to actually kill yourself?"_

_I ignored his accusations. "Sasuke, I don't hate the life you gave me," I said, trying keep my tone soft as he threw me a look. "I hate the killing."_

_"You know we have to!" he argued._

_"I know that but we don't have to needlessly kill, like what we're doing now!" I argued back, my voice rising slightly despite my efforts to keep it soft._

_He rolled his obsidian eyes as if the matter of muder was simply unimportant. I couldn't and most likely never would understand his way of thinking or his views on human life. He didn't realize how precious it was and instead probably thought it worthless, like each human was a mere ant compared to him and I couldn't comprehend it. We were once humans ourselves, didn't he know that? Or did he himself think he was useless when he was human?_

_"Why now?" he asked through gritted teeth, ripping me from my thoughts_

_I sighed. "You were the one who brought it up-"_

_"Only because you always look so miserable now!" he shouted. His hands curled up into fists, trying to hold himself back from simlpy attacking me. "If you had at least tried to hide it, we wouldn't be having this converstion!"_

_"I did try!" I suddenly shouted, silencing him. Despite his own anger, he did a surprising job at staying quiet. "But you became more and more twisted as the years went by and all I wanted was for the real you to come back! I thought that if I stuck around for a bit longer, you'd be like how you used to be otherwise I'm sure I would've already left you! And all that waiting around was for nothing! You only got worse!" He looked at me and I saw something akin to sadness flash through his black eyes, and I tried to calm down. I took a deep breath I didn't need and closed my eyes, keeping a more composed posture. "Maybe I should've said something to you back then or stopped you or took more control of situations." I slowly opened my eyes and looked at him. "But it's too late. I'm sorry I couldn't be the older brother you needed."_

_Somewhere during my yelling, Sasuke had turned his gaze to the ground. I couldn't read his expression but I hoped my sudden outburst didn't push him to a breaking point. I had no idea where our lives would go after this day and the thought that we might end up hating each other terrified me. But the thought that we might even end up killing each other _horrified_ me. I would never be able to murder him and I knew that but somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice told me that I once thought I would never be able to abandon him..._

_"Do you regret staying with me?" he asked in a small but cold voice._

_I didn't answer him. He knew the answer._

_"What is it about me that hate so much?" he asked, louder this time._

_I smiled bitterly at him. "You're in love with it."_

_He lifted his dark gaze to me and asked, "What?"_

_"You're in love with death."_

_His eyes widened in shock. Hadn't he realized it? He loved killing. He loved making people suffer. He also loved putting himself in dangerous situations where there was a possibility of being killed. I knew there was very little that could kill us but the people who almost kill him knew what he was and used that knowledge agaist him. But in the end, he always won, killing them in the most horrific way possible as if it were payback for what they did to him. I didn't know why he found it fun, he hurt so many people. But then again, so had I. I never found it fun like him or went as far as he does but I did partake in it and that made me just as at fault. But despite everything, as I looked at him now, at his confused face that would fit an innocent boy confused at something he didn't understand, I felt that maybe he was just lost. He needed to come to understand that even though the line in between was a litte blurred, there was still a right and wrong._

_"Otouto-"_

_"_Go_," he said with unexpected malice in his voice._

_"But-"_

_"I said GO!" he shouted, hatred shining evidently, and painfully, in his dark eyes. "I'm giving you the chance to leave, Itachi. Take it," he said, dropping his honorific for me, further breaking my heart. "If I see you again-"_

_"You won't," I blankly said, swallowing all the pain and complying with his, and unadmittedly my wishes. I turned away from him, the last image of him in my mind being that look of hate. I started walking away, silently praying he'd change his mind even though I knew he wouldn't._

_"You know what Kakashi once told me?" Sasuke asked as I continued on my path to nowhere, "'Every vampire has _some_ hate towards the one who turned them, no matter who it was.'"_

* * *

**Present**

It's been nearly a hundred years since then and not once have I seen him. I have, though, heard rumors about him, that he was someone to be feared. If I were like every other vampire, I'm sure I would be proud of him but unfortunately, I felt nothing but shame. Over the years, I had to force myself to hate him or at least no longer think of him as the baby brother I once had. Now, he was just another face in the crowd that wanted to kill me. I had no idea how far his hatred for me has grown but I knew he probably did the same as me: taught himself how to hate the person closest to him.

It was a hard lesson to learn but it was better this way, otherwise if we still loved each other, it would only hurt us more than it already did.

A lot had changed since 1914: technology had improved durstically, more has been discovered about medical science and mannerisms have changed more than I could say and amidst all this, I remained, unchanging. At least in age, a man can learn a lot in three centuries but it was only five days ago did I realize that I needed to pay a long, overdue visit.

At the moment, I was driving in an old truck I had bought a while back (more like ten years back) heading right into a town I haven't been in nearly three hundred years. I could feel my lips turn up into a small smile as I passed the city limit of Konoha.

I muttered to myself, "Home sweet home."

* * *

**A/n: I know! It's been over a month now since I've updated and I'm so sorry! Even after last chapter when I promised I would update earlier T.T Sorry if the chapter is too short or not well written, I wanted to get this done before December. ****Also, I mentioned WWI and I hope I didn't offend anyone by mentioning killed soldiers, I don't know if you may have had relatives who fought in it but I mean no disrespect. I wanted to place their seperation in either this or the Boxer Rebellion but since I knew more about WWI I decided to go with it.**

**Anyway, I'd like to thank **up-and-moving **for reviewing, it made me smile :) and I might add in hints of Itasasu in this story too just not the whole works. I'll TRY to update faster this time but no promises. Ja ne!**


	5. Nymphetamine

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the songs used in this story.**

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**Chapter 5: Nymphetamine**

* * *

_Bared on your tomb, I am a prayer for your loneliness_

_And would you ever soon come above unto me?_

_For once upon a time from the binds of your lowliness_

_I could always find the right slot for your sacred key_

_**-Nymphetamine, **_**Cradle of Filth feat. Liv Kristine**

* * *

It's amazing how much a town can change, regardless of time. Dirtroads were now streets lined with telephone poles on either side of it, the wooden houses back then were no longer there and were instead replaced by a series of stores, apartment complexes and new homes, and most of all, the people that used to exist in this once-small town were all long dead which, if Itachi thought about it, was a bit sad. Granted, he wasn't all too close with anyone in the village aside from his family, Naruto and his parents, and of course, Kakashi. But he could see the gray-haired man whenever he wanted. Or rather if he ever found him.

After he and Sasuke had parted ways, he tried to seek out Kakashi, but either he didn't want to be found or he was very good at covering his tracks; Itachi hoped for the latter. There was more than just the reason that he needed to pay a visit to his hometown that he came back to Konoha: he heard from many sources that Kakashi had returned back to the Leaf village a couple years ago but this fact didn't come to his knowledge until just a few days ago. Of course, Itachi didn't spend all of his time away from Sasuke searching for the gray-haired man. As hard as it was, he tried to enjoy rather than resent this immortal life given to him. He traveled quite a lot, something most vampires did and tried stuff he probably would never had done if he were human, though he did nothing that would make him stand out in the crowd. He spent some time researching vampires and its origins but he couldn't credit which one was the truth. There were many legends and surprisingly, a lot were wrong, like they don't burn in sunlight, garlic doesn't repel them and they can see their reflections. But some were right like religious icons, such as crosses or the Star of David, instead of sunlight, burn them along with sacred objects like Holy water and certain totems and idols.

Other than that, Itachi didn't know much else about his species even after 300 years and that was the exact reason he was looking for Kakashi: to learn about himself. How and when did vampires come into existence? Who were the first vampires? What was the history of them? Why did they need to feed off of human life? He had so many questions and the only person he knew he could rely on to supply those answers was Kakashi, or at least he hoped.

But first, he still had to find him. Itachi arrived in town today and had first gone to a cheap hotel to check himself into a room, seeing as he had no idea how long it'd take to find Kakashi or how long he'd stay afterwards. When he went into his room, he had put his black suitcase onto a floral-print chair that was situated in a corner next to a small table that had a lamp and phone sitting atop it, and decided to take a quick shower. After that, he grabbed his phone and some cash and started walking around town, mostly looking at all the changes of Konoha than looking for the gray-haired man. Konoha wasn't too big, holding a population of somewhere around one-hundred thousand, but even then, searching for one person out of that many wasn't exactly easy; he had horrible tracking skills. Normally, vampires are given heightened senses for all five human senses but some vampires had better eyesight that another or they had a better sense of smell, and so on. Unfortunatley, Itachi's sense of smell was barely any better than a human's, which was a hindrance to finding Kakashi and he'd have to work around it.

Itachi sighed as he sat down on a park bench and thanked God he had better eyesight and hearing to compensate. He leaned back in the bench, his head resting on the rod iron at the top of it and closed his eyes, remembering how Sasuke used to tease him and call his lack of smell a weakness. Actually, Itachi wasn't too sure if he _was _just teasing; maybe he really thought of it as something that weakened himself as a vampire. Itachi never really understood that; how could it be a weakness if he, even if he had it, wasn't looking for or hiding from anyone? That's what vampires mainly used it for and not much else.

Itachi mentally kicked himself for not realizing back then just how paranoid Sasuke was. He always seemed to be looking over his shoulder or quickly covering up their tracks as if someone were looking for them. The only thing he wasn't paranoid about was anyone tracking their 'killing sprees'. They weren't exactly low-key but they didn't kill enough in one place to make it look like a serial killer was in town and they didn't kill in consecutive neighboring towns to make it look like they were traveling serial killers; they were always careful like that.

Another thing about Sasuke Itachi noticed was that he didn't like the mention of Kakashi. He always got angry whenever the older Uchiha asked if they could track him down but without fail or hestitation, he refused. Maybe he hated him or held a grudge against Kakashi which wouldn't make sense since Sasuke _chose_ to become a vampire, same as Itachi. But what Sasuke said to him a hundred years ago stuck with him; _Every vampire has some hate towards the one who turned them, no matter who it was._

Itachi opened his eyes and decided he should start asking around rather than think about his younger brother. After all, he's been denied in seeing Kakashi for three centuries now, and he was so close to finding him. He smiled a small smile when he remembered why he sometimes asked about looking for the white haired man: he wanted to see someone familiar. Yes, he had Sasuke but it was surprising how much he missed seeing someone else he knew after so many had died off years ago.

With that thought, he stood up and quickly looked around the area he was in (not taking a look when he had sat down) and noticed that there weren't very many people walking out today and spotted only five individual humans. There weren't any stores around but there were a few small trees and green grass along with a cement path. It looked like a park for walking around in though there were no playgrounds for children.

He started walking and asked people around about directions. Not about how to find Kakashi though, he would eventually get to that, but right now, he wanted to see his parents.

* * *

Konoha now had two different cemetaries; one for more recent deaths and one for the more older deaths. The older cemetary was larger than the newer one and had more graves but actually looked just as new which was a nice surprise for Itachi. Gravestones before the early twentieth century usually were made out of wood or giant rocks to mark a grave, unless, of course, you came from a wealthy family, in which case the gravestone would look no different from a modern one. But what surprised Itachi was that almost all the older gravestones were replaced with the modern look. The Uchiha's were quite wealthy so nearly all members had that type of gravestone, so it was likely they weren't replaced.

As he passed by the graves, he noticed that sometimes there weren't any names or dates on them. He assumed that meant that the words couldn't be made out after so many years but still the people who re-did the cemetary had the respect to at least keep a grave marker to show that whoever was buried under there lived and died some point in time. It made Itachi happy. It was acknowledging the life of someone whose only proof of existence was the grave six feet above them.

He let out a soft sigh, hoping he could find the names of his parents. Though he wasn't sure if he wanted to see his own or his brother's.

After half an hour, he managed to find the name 'Uchiha', though he didn't recognize any names yet meaning they had died before he was born or that they were born after had he 'died'. He had to have seen at least thirty graves with his surname until he finally found a familiar name.

Uchiha Shisui.

Itachi grinned down at the name and thanked God he found his cousin and best friend.

"Shisui..." he started, not really knowing what to say. His smile seemed to tremble a bit before he felt hot tears gather in his eyes. He tried not to cry, otherwise he'd feel quite foolish, seeing as how he hasn't shed a tear since _that _night. But it was hard not to cry when thinking about someone as happy as Shisui being gone, even if his cousin's death was long before his own. Itachi knew he wouldn't win against the tears and decided to let them go. His smile trembled even more and when he opened his mouth, he expected a sob but instead, he started laughing.

If anyone were to pass by him, they'd probably find it strange to see a man crying and laughing at the same time, at a cemetery no less.

"Shisui," he repeated, knowing exactly what he was going to say this time, something his happy, stupid cousin would ask if roles were reversed. He paused to calm his tears and laughter, and with a smile he asked, "How have you been?"

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**A/n:...Wow, it's been a really long time hasn't it? Heh heh ^^; Sorry for that but I don't really have an excuse; my sense of time of is really fast, a month feels like a week to me, haha. Anyways, I'm sorry for the short chapter but, hey at least it something. I'll try to be more consistent with updates but don't count on it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and to anyone else who read my story. Ja ne!**


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